Country Comfort® Reinvents Hotel Franchising with New Model

Fair and Transparent Model Offering Attractive Yields

20 March, 2014 - SINGAPORE - Country Comfort®, an upper midscale hotel brand of SilverNeedle® Hospitality, is set to reinvent the hotel franchising business with a modern model that is fair and transparent providing a compelling investment proposition. Based on the simple principle of aligning its economic interests with those of its franchisees, SilverNeedle® Hospitality as a franchisor will strive for an ideal partnership with franchisees by being one of the few hotel franchisors to pass on all savings from negotiating the lowest possible costs for all furniture, fittings and equipment (FF&E) with its suppliers, directly to the franchisees.

“As franchising is one of the best ways for hotel owners and investors to grow a hotel chain, we want to offer an attractive and cost-effective model that stretches yields,” said Sean Flynn, Executive Vice President, Brands at Singapore-based SilverNeedle® Hospitality. “As a franchisor, we take a long-term view of aligning our economic interests with the franchisees’ so we will be one of the few hotel franchisors that will not make any money off the franchisee’s capital expenditure.”

SilverNeedle® Hospitality aims to take the Country Comfort® brand, already familiar in Australia and New Zealand, to other parts of Asia Pacific, specifically Southeast Asia, North and South Asia. The group is in discussions with interested franchisees in Japan, Malaysia, Macau, Vietnam and Australia.

SilverNeedle® Hospitality’s team of franchising experts has also scoured the globe for the best-quality FF&E at the lowest costs for franchisees, thereby maximising their yields. The FF&E cost of a Country Comfort room will be 25% lower than the average FF&E cost of a midscale hotel room according to the 2013/2014 HVS Hotel Development Cost Survey.

“With a combined experience of 48 years in hotel franchising, our team has learnt the best way to ensure a fruitful franchisor-franchisee relationship is to help the latter enjoy the highest yield possible,” said Flynn. “With quality fittings at a reasonable cost, franchisees stand to enjoy higher occupancy as our offerings gain traction with the busy and budget-conscious business traveller.”

Quality fittings in the Country Comfort® franchise include the SilverNeedle® DreamWeave Sleep System™ comprising the highest quality pillow-top mattress with gel-infused memory foam, Egyptian Cotton 300 thread count per inch linens and a selection of premium pillows. 

Guests will also enjoy an energising high pressure shower experience, with limitless hot water and quality bathware from the high-end German brand, Bravat. To top it off, a complimentary healthy continental breakfast will leave guests refreshed to face the next day’s challenges in line with Country Comfort®’s new brand promise: Rest Today for a More Productive Tomorrow.

By providing only what the guests need – the best in category sleep experience, an excellent shower experience and nutritious breakfast at a reasonable rate – and removing what they do not need and do not wish to pay for, SilverNeedle® Hospitality is confident that occupancy will be greater than its competitors because of the premium experience in a midscale segment. This, coupled with the low FF&E cost, will make Country Comfort® a franchise that provides one of the best yields. To view the Country Comfort® prototype, please go to: http://youtu.be/qwro98e1qVI. 

SilverNeedle® Hospitality rebranded the 28-year old Country Comfort® in October 2013 with a new brand promise and a refreshed brand identity and introduced the Fair Value Promise™ that includes free Wi-Fi, free local calls and great value on IDD calls, lobby retail products priced just 30% above local convenience stores and laundry and dry cleaning at 20% above street pricing. 

To further enhance the brand experience, Country Comfort® has created signature auditory and olfactory experiences with a standardised Country Comfort® collection of playlists designed to suit the different moods of the day together with an exclusive signature scent that will be diffused to the hotels’ key areas.

For more information, please visit www.countrycomfort.com